


exactly where we're supposed to be

by foxwatson



Series: i wanna touch you [2]
Category: Bill & Ted (Movies)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Featuring, Jolly Fun, Las Vegas Wedding, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Two!, and more - Freeform, old dudes....., ted's old van halen shirt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:15:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28197510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxwatson/pseuds/foxwatson
Summary: The ring box is innocent enough, where it sits in Ted’s hand. The velvet on the outside is nice, the lining is a deep shade of blue he knows Bill will like, and the ring turned out beautifully - all blue and black and green, opal embedded in a dark ring that looks like shattered glass when it hits the light. It’ll look good with everything Bill wears, and bring out all the nice shades in his eyes. The engraving, too, turned out nicely - everything’s spelled right and the letters are clean. Ted knows because he’s checked it at least a hundred times.
Relationships: Ted "Theodore" Logan/Bill S. Preston Esq.
Series: i wanna touch you [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2065527
Comments: 5
Kudos: 45





	exactly where we're supposed to be

**Author's Note:**

> HO HO HO MERRY JOLLY. I DIDN'T ALKSMDF mean to publish two fics so close together but THIS ONE..... a gift for my DEAR FRIEND ghost, a constant source of inspiration to me and the biggest fan of my original old dudes fic so. for obvious reasons for holiday gift exchange, i wrote them a sequel. I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT MY DUDE <3
> 
> title credit to the maine's ho ho hopefully which just. makes me feel cozy

The ring box is innocent enough, where it sits in Ted’s hand. The velvet on the outside is nice, the lining is a deep shade of blue he knows Bill will like, and the ring turned out beautifully - all blue and black and green, opal embedded in a dark ring that looks like shattered glass when it hits the light. It’ll look good with everything Bill wears, and bring out all the nice shades in his eyes. The engraving, too, turned out nicely - everything’s spelled right and the letters are clean. Ted knows because he’s checked it at least a hundred times.

“Dader, if you don’t get out here before they get back it’s gonna get way obvious that you’re freaking out about something,” Billie says from the door before they duck their head inside to check. Then, when they see Ted sitting on the bed, still in his pajamas, they frown a little and come to sit beside him on the bed, nudging their shoulder against his. “Are you actually freaking out?”

Ted closes the ring box again and sighs, rubbing his hands on his pants. “Yeah, maybe. A little. I just - want it to be special, you know? I’m - I guess I’m nervous.”

“About what?” Billie teases him, smiling. “You totally know he’s gonna say yes. It’s just the four of us, so it’s not like a big crowd or anything. Me and Thea are gonna film it and stuff, we stashed the champagne for you. What’s the problem?”

“Yeah, but- what if he doesn’t say yes?” Ted asks softly, setting the ring down on the bed. “What if I’m - I probably shouldn’t even bother you with all this stuff, I’m sorry, B, I’m just freaking myself out, you’re right.”

“Well it’s not like you can talk to Mom about it. Or Uncle Bill.”

Ted laughs a little, and winces. “You really gotta stop calling him that.”

“Well, T and me are workshopping some stuff, just - not a lot of good ideas yet.”

Shaking his head, Ted wraps an arm around their shoulders and hugs them a little. “I’m kidding, mostly. I get that it’s - hard to get used to. Sorry it’s all so - weird.”

“Dad, it’s really not that weird,” Billie tells him, leaning against his shoulder. “I mean - you guys were always super close. That facetime call was - mildly disastrous, but only because there were like, three of us trying to come out at once,” they joke, giggling a little.

Laughing again, Ted hugs them tighter and then lets go, finally managing to make himself stand up. “I mean - I’m most grateful we sync up so well a lot of the time, especially when it comes to music but - in that case it got a little messy, yeah.”

The facetime call really had been one for the books. Knowing they had to tell their kids, he and Bill had called specifically with the intention of coming out to Billie and Thea - only to find that when they said “We have something to tell you,” Billie and Thea had said it at the exact same time, all four of them in perfect chorus. Thea, fortunately, had only been backing up her cousin, but Billie had decided it was the perfect time to tell them both they were nonbinary - at the same time he and Bill were trying to tell them they were together.

In the end, they’d figured everything out. But the conversation itself had gotten a little bumpy in places.

Ted remembers, fondly now, how nervous he’d been, and how Bill had held his hand off-camera, fingers tightly intertwined, squeezing to comfort whenever he’d needed it.

He looks back at the ring where it sits on the bed, and then looks into the closet. “Do you still think I should wear - what we talked about? Nothing fancy or anything?”

“If you dress up too much, he’s definitely gonna know something’s up. The sweater’s a good in between, like I told you. But - he and Thea are totally gonna get back with the drinks soon, and then he’s probably gonna come back here. You should get dressed and put the ring somewhere, Dad.”

Putting his hands over his face, Ted resists the urge to flop back on the bed. “I really can’t keep a secret, B.”

“You got this far!”

“Only cause I had the ring shipped to you and had you keep it! And only cause - I don’t know, we’ve talked about all this in the abstract, I guess. But when I proposed to your mom, he helped me write the proposal, we got the rings together - I really don’t know what I’m doing.”

“And that’s okay,” Billie says softly, coming over to poke him in the back. “Even if you mess up, what’s the worst that can happen? You guys saved the world together. You travelled through time. I don’t think anything’s gonna happen cause you like - mess up the proposal a little, Dader.”

The thing is, Ted knows they’re right. He knows even if Bill doesn’t wanna marry him - if just the whole idea of getting married again seems like too much stress, or he doesn’t wanna go to all the trouble, they’re together for the rest of their lives, guaranteed. No matter what happens, he’s always gonna have Bill right by his side.

He’s still just nervous. His stomach is all twisted into knots, and he’s a little embarrassed at how much he’s had to drag Billie into all of it, trying to pull something off when he’s fully not equipped to. He’s pretty sure he’s never actually successfully kept a secret from Bill once in his whole life.

Suddenly, Billie shakes him a little and shoves him towards the closet. “Get dressed, Dad. And get the ring. I’m gonna go finish setting things up in the living room and the kitchen, I’ll have Thea run interference as long as she can. You can do it!”

“Thanks, B,” he says again, and he smiles at them as they shoot him a thumbs up and head back out the door.

Left to his own devices again, Ted shakes his hands out and approaches his half of the closet. He’s got a silly holiday sweater that Billie got him years ago, one with guitars in Santa hats on it, and while it’s not the sort of thing most people would probably wear to a proposal, it always makes Bill laugh. Billie’s idea was also that it won’t seem strange, since Ted’s decided to propose at their little family holiday party, just a couple of days before Christmas.

Some part of Ted had wanted to propose on the last night of Hanukkah, thinking it might make a nice gift - but he’d been too nervous, and Billie and Thea hadn’t made it home in time. So now, here he is in the awkward space between holidays, wearing dark jeans and a novelty sweater, trying to figure out how to hide an engagement ring in the tightest ripped pair of jeans he still owns, because he knows that Bill likes them.

Once he’s managed to get the ring tucked in his front pocket, he checks himself over in the mirror. He trimmed his beard earlier, and paid special attention to his hair. He’s already got in an earring that coordinates well with the red on his sweater. He tugs at the hem of the sweater, making sure he looks as neat as he’s going to, and then he finally opens the door - and nearly bumps face-first into Bill in the hallway.

“Dude, there you are,” Bill says with a smile.

Ted blinks at him, startled, but he can’t help but smile back. “Yeah. Sorry. Just gettin’ ready. Did Billie finish getting everything set up?”

“Yeah, they did, everything looks great.” Bill leans up and kisses him, a soft, familiar press of lips. “You look good, dude. I still like the sweater.” He grins a little and slides a hand into the back pocket of Ted’s jeans. “Look a little dressed up for the party just for us, I kind of thought maybe you’d save this one for the big Christmas Eve party.”

Laughing and flushing slightly, Ted ducks out of Bill’s reach and heads back out towards the living room. “Well I’ve got a couple of other ones, you know. That other one B and T got me that’s Star Wars themed - might break that one out.”

“Oh, I like that one, too,” Bill tells him, placing his hands gently on Ted’s hips as he moves along behind him. He nudges Ted over a little, just so they can both fit as they walk down the hallway. “Just making me feel underdressed,” Bill jokes, tugging a little at the collar of the old flannel he’s wearing.

“Oh, no way, dude, I love this one.” Ted pauses for a moment, forgetting his own awkwardness just enough to lean down and pull Bill into another short kiss, squeezing at his hip over the fabric of his shirt. “It’s a really good color on you. You look fine, like for pictures and stuff.”

“Oh - yeah, pictures. That’s why you dressed up.”

Ted shrugs, and smiles, grateful for the easy out. “Kinda, yeah. B said they might end up taking some, you know.”

Bill nods, his brow furrowing slightly. “Makes sense.”

They make it out to the living room, and Billie and Thea are in the kitchen together, setting up a little charcuterie board and dancing to the playlist they’ve put on. It’s a holiday playlist - fairly eclectic. It’s a fair share of rock music, but there’s a smattering of songs from Muppet Christmas specials, some indie stuff, some instrumentals.

Going over, Ted wraps an arm around Thea’s shoulders and kisses her on the temple to say hello. He has an idea that Billie told her about the proposal, and that’s part of the reason why she helped get Bill out of the house for the afternoon and evening.

She turns and grins up at him.

“Merry Christmas, uh-” Thea says, stumbling slightly and glancing at Billie. “Dad 2?”

Ted laughs a little and hugs her tighter, kissing the top of her head. “Better. Nice try.”

“Don’t think that’s it, though,” Bill tells her, coming over to hug her on the other side.

Ted pats her on the back, and Bill on the hand, and then goes over to check in with Billie again.

“So the-”

“It’s in the fridge, and T’s gonna get it while I man the camera. Once we’re all over by the tree, the playlist should time out so you can do it while the Carpenters are playing, it’s gonna be fine, Dader. Promise.” They grab his arm and shake it a little, and he laughs, rubbing a hand over his face again.

“Sorry. I’ll stop bothering you about it, promise.”

“You’re not bothering me. I think it’s sweet you wanted to wait til me and T were home and make it like - a family thing. But the longer you’re over here the more likely it is he’ll come over and check so - hey how about you guys doing another holiday album?”

Behind him, Bill snorts. “I think one is probably enough, Billie.”

“You guys wrote an excellent Hanukkah song and I think you did some choice covers, too. People just weren’t ready for it.”

“You always try to say that,” Ted reminds them, kissing them on the temple in thanks before going back into the kitchen and getting himself a drink.

He sticks to ginger ale, mostly hoping it’ll settle his stomach.

He’s grateful he did, once they’re all settled in the living room and the music is still going. He keeps fidgeting, putting his cup down and picking it back up, bouncing his leg, tapping his fingers against his thigh to the beat. Bill keeps glancing at him, grabbing his free hand and squeezing it gently - and Ted knows he can tell that something’s wrong, but Bill’s little confused frowns imply he doesn’t know what it is yet, so at least Ted has that.

When the opening strains of “Merry Christmas Darling” start to play, Ted tenses up, sitting up on the couch. He sets his drink down so quickly he almost spills it, and then checks the ring in his pocket again, trying to take a deep breath. It’s maybe a silly choice - but the song has been a shared favorite of his and Bill’s for a long time. They even did a cover of it for the Wyld Stallyns holiday album, back in the day. In retrospect, maybe Billie’s right - maybe people just weren’t ready for it.

Hesitantly, he grabs Bill’s hand and squeezes it gently, getting his attention. He notices in passing that Billie and Thea have gone quiet.

“Bill?” Ted starts, and his voice is rough enough he has to clear his throat before he goes on. “Uh - I actually have something I wanted to - give to you tonight.”

“Oh,” Bill says, blinking at him. “I - did, too, actually. But you go ahead, dude.”

“Oh,” Ted says back. “Are you sure?"

Bill smiles and squeezes his hand again. “Yeah, dude. Go on. I wanna see what it is.”

Ted laughs, nervously, and gets off the couch, settling onto one knee. “Well, uh-”

He can hear Billie shifting, clearly starting to film, and Thea’s in the kitchen already, over Bill’s shoulder.

“No way,” Bill says, and Ted stops before he ever really started.

“Uh-” he says, freezing with his hand still in his pocket. “Is that like - an answer, or-”

“No! Just you-” Laughing, Bill cuts himself off and pulls a ring box out of his own pocket, holding it pinched in his fingers, his hand shaking a little. “I guess we uh - still kind of accidentally proposed together, you know.”

Ted finishes pulling the ring box out of his pocket, and trades it with Bill’s, his mouth hanging open slightly. He opens the little box in his hands and finds a ring inside that’s not totally dissimilar from the one he got Bill. It’s a dark gunmetal sort of color, the actual ring is, and so is the border, but where the one he got for Bill has that opal inlay, the one Bill got for him has a warm amber resin that fills in the gaps of a beautiful swirling design that matches the rest of the ring. Ted takes it out of the box, and twists it in the light, marveling at the color and the care that clearly went into it. He finds that the inside of the ring says _Party On_ , which is that much funnier knowing that Bill's says _Be Excellent_ on the inside. He laughs a little, blinking away the tears that suddenly spring to his eyes, and looks up at Bill with the ring still just sitting in the palm of his hand.

Bill’s still looking down at his ring in the box, tilting it so it hits the light and laughing, too. He looks back up and meets Ted’s eyes, and they both grin and do a little air guitar together. Then, unable to help himself, Ted places his hands on Bill’s knees and leans up to kiss him, just a quick one.

“Put the ring on me, dude,” Ted tells him, grinning as he puts the ring back in Bill’s hand. Bill takes it in his fingers and pushes it onto Ted’s ring finger - and it fits perfectly. It’s not too snug, just loose enough for Ted to fidget with.

When he stops staring at the way it sits on his finger, Ted manages to pull Bill’s ring from it’s box and slide it onto his finger, too. He was right to think it would look perfect on Bill - it absolutely does. The greens in the ring even match well with his flannel, and Ted smiles to see it.

“I had a whole speech planned, dude,” Bill says suddenly, grumbling even as he smiles so hard the corners of his eyes are all wrinkled up, and Ted can see where one tear is leaking out to roll down his cheek. He reaches up, and rubs his thumb over Bill’s cheek, wiping it away.

“Just save it for the vows, dude,” Ted tells him, laughing as he leans up for another kiss - and this time Bill leans down to meet him, pulling him in close by the back of the head.

It’s still only really a peck - but Thea clears her throat behind them, and Ted leans out around Bill to see her standing there with champagne glasses in hand. “Would anyone like a celebratory beverage?” she asks.

Billie goes over to grab a drink, and they wave their phone as they do. “Totally got the video, too, dads! I’ll send it to both of you on Messenger later, just like you asked.”

They grin, and trade a look with Thea, and the two of them clink their glasses together.

“Did you guys-” Ted starts.

“Both know?” Bill finishes with him, both of them glancing between their kids.

“Oh, yeah,” Thea tells them, laughing. “You got in touch with us within like - a day of each other. We checked and everything.”

“Crazy coordinated, dads, even when you’re not,” Billie adds.

Ted grins - but it turns into a groan as he actually has to get up from where he’s kneeling on the floor. Bill stands, and helps pull him up, and they both head into the kitchen to join Billie and Thea for a glass of champagne.

He stays close to Bill’s side, and keeps a hand pressed to his back or at least brushes their knuckles together - but otherwise he tries not to get distracted just staring at the ring or thinking about it, because he knows they only have a little time with Billie and Thea before they have to leave again. They’ll be home through Christmas, of course, and staying right next door, but sometimes Ted still misses having them both at home all the time. He and Billie have pretty regular Facetime calls, and sometimes he and Bill even call both of them together, but it’s just not the same as walking into the garage and finding them there.

As Billie gushes about all they’re learning from the producers they’re training with, though, and Thea nods and grins with them, Ted knows it’s all worth them getting a chance to pursue their passions. He’s proud of them - both of them - and he can tell from the smile on Bill’s face as he listens that he is, too.

It starts to get later, the clock edging towards midnight as they all keep talking, and Billie eventually elbows Thea and points at the clock. “We better get back, T, just so we’re not waking up Mom.”

Thea yawns a little, and nods. “Yeah, good plan, dude.” She walks over and hugs Bill, then Ted. “See you tomorrow, dads.”

“Yeah, see you both tomorrow,” Ted tells them, and Bill echoes him as Billie comes over and hugs both of them, too, then waves.

Both of them go to the window, and watch to make sure both of them make it next door okay, and then they turn to look at each other and laugh.

“Dude, we’re getting married,” Bill says with a smile, moving closer to wrap his arms around Ted’s waist.

“Yeah, I guess we are,” Ted answers, unable to stop himself from laughing as he leans down and presses his forehead against Bill’s.

They stand like that for a moment, in the warm light of the Christmas tree and all their holiday decorations, just holding each other. Ted rubs his hands up over Bill’s back and hums quietly, enjoying the feeling of having him so close. It’s their first holiday since they’ve moved back in together, and Ted keeps finding himself inside these little moments and more than a little amused by the idea that they might never have ended up here if he hadn’t decided to wear his old Van Halen shirt on a whim one day.

Ted smiles slightly, and nudges in closer to kiss Bill properly, soft and slow and indulgent, and he thinks - maybe it was inevitable, actually. Sometimes it feels that way. Like no matter what Ted did or how long it took, they were always going to end up here.

He pulls back with a grin, and Bill ducks his head under Ted’s chin, pressing his face against his shoulder, and hugging him tighter.

“I can’t believe we decided to propose on the same night, dude,” Bill tells him, laughing again.

“I can,” Ted says softly, running one hand gently up Bill’s back, the other pushing slowly through his curls. “We’ve been on the same page about pretty much everything, pretty much forever. I don’t know why I didn’t think before it happened that it would happen this way.” He presses his hand a little harder against Bill’s back, keeping him close, and tilts his head down to nuzzle his face into Bill’s hair. “You know I was actually afraid you were gonna say no. Like - maybe you wouldn’t wanna have to do it all over again, you know?”

That makes Bill pull back, his hands sliding up over Ted’s arms as he shakes his head. “No way, dude. Of course I wanna be married to you. I wanted to like-” Bill flushes a little and laughs, glancing away. “Like as soon as we kissed in the kitchen, actually. Or at least as soon as you said that thing about the retirement place. I just - there’s not really like, rules, right, for - us.”

“For two dudes who took like fifty years to realize they should be married to each other and not to other people? Yeah, I guess so,” Ted jokes, and Bill snorts at him as he pulls him closer again, leaning up for another kiss.

They stand there for a few moments, trading kisses, with the playlist still going in the background. At some point, Bill seems to tune back into it, and he starts humming along with the song, starting to embellish a little, making it a little silly on purpose as he starts to sway along with the music and pull Ted with him. Ted laughs with his head thrown back, unable to help himself as he and Bill end up dancing together, his arms around Bill’s shoulder’s, Bill’s pressed against his waist, both of them just swaying more than anything.

It doesn’t even take a full song for both of them to giggle too much to keep in rhythm, and then they’re kissing again, heads ducked together, totally distracted from the music.

When Ted pulls back, Bill makes a sleepy little noise and shakes himself a little, and Ted can feel all too well just how late it is. “Dude, come on, let’s go to bed.”

“Shouldn’t we be - doing something special? We just got engaged.”

“Well the last time we got engaged we just went home and got kidnapped, dude,” Ted reminds him, pulling away to unplug the Christmas lights and turn off the speaker. “So - I’ll take the early bedtime actually.”

Bill laughs, and grabs Ted’s hand, sticking close as they stumble down the hall to their bedroom. “Maybe you’ve got a point. Some champagne and a night in and some time with the kids is - definitely the better engagement party.”

“Agreed,” Ted says, as he starts trying to get out of his sweater.

Of course, he gets a little stuck, and Bill comes over to help him, gently pushing Ted’s sweater over his head, then running his hands down over Ted’s chest and stomach to his hips. He leans in close and kisses right over Ted’s heart as Ted finishes getting his hands out of his sleeves - and when he has, he presses one hand gently against the back of Bill’s head.

“C’mon, dude, let’s go to bed,” Ted tells him.

Nodding, Bill hums an answer, and they help each other undress before they both put on the silly matching holiday pajamas Billie and Thea had gotten both of them for Hanukkah. Ted usually gets his gifts at Christmas - but they’d decided to give him his Christmas pajamas early, since they were intended as a set with Bill’s Hanukkah ones.

Once they’ve brushed their teeth and freshened up in the bathroom, they both settle into bed and Ted grabs Bill’s left hand with his, rubbing his thumb over the ring on Bill’s finger.

“I can’t wait to be married to you, dude,” Ted mumbles softly, scooting closer so he can lean his head against Bill’s shoulder, their knees bumping under the covers.

“Me neither, dude,” Bill says back - and Ted listens as his breathing starts to even out, and lets his own eyes fall shut, too.

In the morning, he wakes up before Bill, as he nearly always does, and he smiles to see the ring still sitting on Bill’s finger. He rubs his thumb over it again, just gently, and then kisses Bill’s hand before he slowly and quietly gets out of bed.

It’s just a passing thought he has as he walks by the closet - but unable to resist, grinning, he ducks inside and quietly digs out his old Van Halen shirt, tugging it on over his head before he pads out to the kitchen.

He keeps smiling, just to himself, as he goes about making breakfast and getting the coffee started. He hums a little, even as he tries not to make too much noise. It’s not often that he pulls the shirt out, since the first time he wore it again - but now he mostly does it on purpose, because he knows how much Bill likes it.

When he hears Bill walking into the kitchen, he just stays facing the stove, finishing up their toast and eggs with his head ducked down, waiting for Bill to notice.

As it turns out, he walks over immediately and presses his hands against Ted’s hips, hands sliding up under the hem of his shirt. “Dude, not the shirt,” Bill groans.

Ted laughs, turning off the stove before he places his hands over Bill’s. “I couldn’t resist, dude. We’re getting married.”

“You know how I feel when you wear this,” Bill tells him, pressing the words against the center of his back.

“Like Def Leppard’s Photograph, exactly three minutes and twenty-five seconds in,” Ted recites with Bill, laughing a little as he does. “You say that every time, dude.”

“Still gets you to laugh, though,” Bill tells him, kissing at his shoulder over his shirt. He trails his hands up over Ted’s stomach, pushing his shirt up a little, and leans his head against Ted’s back again, just leaning against him and holding him close. Bill hums the relevant line of the chorus, just the _I wanna touch you!_ line, and Ted giggles again, with the vibration of the sound as much as the joy of their silly little running bit.

Once Bill stops humming, though, and Ted pays attention, he realizes he can feel the engagement ring, warm from Bill’s body heat, smooth where it’s pressed against his skin. He places his hand back over Bill’s, just to trace his fingers over the ring.

“Dude, I think I have an idea.” Bill tells him, coming around to Ted’s shoulder to make eye contact. “I - thought of something, last night falling asleep. Since you said that thing about not wanting to wait.” He hops up to sit on the counter, and Ted looks over at him as he gets their breakfast on plates.

“Lay it on me, dude.”

“Well, so-” Bill crosses his arms, obviously a little uncertain. “You said that thing about - not wanting to do all of it again. And - you know, I wouldn’t mind, if that’s what you wanted to do, if you wanted to do all the planning and the party stuff, and the - people, and the cake and flowers and all that stuff. But I also - kind of just wanna be married to you already, dude.”

Ted frowns a little, and goes over to stand in between Bill’s legs, hands on his waist. “So what are you saying, dude?”

“I’m saying uh - while you were making breakfast, before I came out here I - looked some stuff up. And - they do Vegas weddings on Christmas Eve.” Bill tells him, smiling, if a little shakily. “You can even like - pre-register with the clerk’s office online, and then the office is still open so we could - get the certificate, and get married today. If you wanted to. Then we can do it while Billie and Thea are still home, if they want to come, or - whoever, you know, we just pile in the van and we go to Vegas, today, and we don’t gotta worry about planning or any of that stuff.”

Ted’s heart speeds up in his chest, and he grabs tighter at Bill’s waist, sliding his hands down to his hips. “You wanna get married - today?”

“Well just - if you want to, dude. I thought maybe it might be easier, and - less overwhelming for you, I know you hated doing all that stuff with Liz, all the people and everything and - I mean, if it’s different now, I get it, but-”

Grateful now that Bill’s sitting on the counter, Ted leans in and kisses him, a hard press of lips, nearly knocking their noses together. “Yes, Bill. Yeah. Let’s do it. I wanna marry you.”

“Really?” Bill asks, breathless against his lips.

Ted nods and kisses him again, damp and open-mouthed, a slower press this time. “If we wanna do all the other stuff, we can always have a renewal of vows or something, dude, I don’t - I don’t care about any of that, I just wanna marry you.”

Bill laughs, and this time he pulls Ted back in for a kiss, biting at his lower lip, licking inside Ted’s mouth all messy and excited, and when they pull back they’re both laughing.

“Okay we gotta-” Bill starts, cradling Ted’s face in his hands. “We gotta eat breakfast. And I’ll take care of the marriage certificate stuff and - we gotta tell Billie and Thea, and - I don’t know if there’s anyone else you wanna have come.”

“We should tell Missy and Deacon. But other than that - this is mostly for us anyways, dude. Let’s just go.”

Grinning, Bill hops off the counter and pulls Ted down into another quick smudge of a kiss before he goes back towards the bedroom to grab his laptop. “Let’s do it, dude.”

When Bill comes back, they settle at the table to eat their breakfast, and while Bill fills out the online form stuff, Ted texts Missy and Deacon, and checks to see if Billie and Thea are already awake. Bill’s got his reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose while he frowns at the screen, and whenever Ted’s not looking at his phone, he leans over and kisses at Bill’s temple, or leans against his shoulder, checking to see what kind of information they have to fill out.

Before they’re even all the way done eating, Billie and Thea come rushing in through the front door.

“You guys are getting married?” Thea asks, standing in the doorway, Billie standing next to her, equally out of breath, like they ran all the way over.

Ted frowns, fork halfway to his mouth. “I didn’t even tell you that part yet.”

“Aunt Missy texted us, Dader!” Billie tells him, rushing over to give him a hug. “This is so cool! Mom says she’s happy for you - both of you, and that it’s totally fine if we come with.”

“Mom said the same thing,” Thea says with a grin, coming over to throw her arms around everyone. “And we’re totally coming with. You’re not getting Vegas married without us, that’s way too cool to miss.”

Looking over, Ted catches Bill’s eyes, and they both laugh and shrug, giving in to the family group hug.

When Billie and Thea bounce back up, Billie points at both of them. “You guys finish getting ready. We’ll get the van ready. Pretty sure if Aunt Missy or Uncle Deacon wanna come they’re just gonna meet us there. It’s gonna be a most excellent wedding day!”

“Catch ya later, dads!” They say in chorus with Thea, and then they’re both whooping and hi fiving as they run back out the door.

Ted laughs, and can’t help but lean over, pressing his forehead against Bill’s shoulder again, totally overwhelmed by his own happiness, and his kid’s, and the strange supportive little circle of family they’ve managed to find themselves in, after all this time.

“It’ll be nice to have Missy there. If she wants to come,” Bill admits, pushing a hand through Ted’s hair, and pushing it back off his face.

“Yeah, totally,” Ted agrees, nodding against Bill’s shirt.

“I guess we’re kind of - taking B and T to Vegas for Christmas, but it seems like Liz and Jo aren’t too mad. Hopefully.”

“Hopefully,” Ted echoes, lifting his head up with a chuckle, pressing close to nudge another little kiss against Bill’s lips.

They both linger for a moment, grateful for the quiet in the suddenly overwhelming morning they’ve both found themselves in - even if it’s all overwhelming in a pretty excellent way.

Now that it’s a little more lukewarm, they both manage to finish their breakfast, and they take the plates back over to the sink and rinse them off before they place them in the dishwasher. Ted manages to press Bill up against the counter and kiss him again, finally getting his hands under Bill’s shirt, licking into Bill’s mouth and really kissing him properly - but he knows they won’t have time for much more. He pulls back, and kisses at Bill’s cheek, and his jaw, and his neck, and then sighs.

“That’s what the honeymoon is for, dude,” Bill jokes, rubbing a hand up under Ted’s shirt, clearly thinking the same thing.

“Good point, I guess,” Ted admits with a reluctant smile. He kisses Bill again, right over the mole at his temple, and then they both make their way to the bedroom to get dressed and ready.

Very quickly they both realize the only thing they have that’s even close to wedding appropriate are the suits they just wore earlier this year to Missy and Deacon’s wedding - but they just shrug, and laugh, and throw them on. Bill helps Ted straighten his bow tie, just like he did the last time they wore these same suits - only this time, Ted gets to lean in and kiss him to say thank you.

By the time they’re both all the way ready, both of them looking decent in the mirror - and Bill looking far more handsome than decent, as far as Ted is concerned - Billie and Thea are waiting for them in the living room. Thea has on the suit she wore to Missy and Deacon’s wedding, but this time she has a different shirt underneath - an old Wyld Stallyns shirt. Billie’s still wearing the tuxedo shorts from last time - which they’d long ago stolen from Ted’s closet - but the top half of their outfit is totally different, and also includes a little Wyld Stallyns pin at their collar.

Ted smiles to see them both dressed up, and he pulls both of them into a hug, kissing both of their foreheads. “Thanks, guys. For - all of this.”

“We just want you to be happy, Dader,” Thea tells him, and Ted blinks and looks over at Billie.

“Oh,” the two of them say in unison.

“Wait - did we-” Bill asks, looking between all three of them.

“Daderino!” Thea and Billie say in unison looking over at Bill, and the four of them all laugh together, launching into a shared family air guitar.

With that finally settled, they’re all in a great mood as they pile into the van with their things and pick out the music for the long drive to Vegas.

Really, it’s not that long - after so many years spent on the road touring, a drive that’s less than four hours doesn’t feel bad at all. Particularly when they’re all so excited, and Billie and Thea are bouncing along to the music in the back, and Bill’s drumming along on the steering wheel, and Ted can’t think of a single place on Earth he’d rather be.

When they make it to Vegas - Ted finds it a lot more beautiful than he’d really expected. He’s been before, he and Bill both have, on some tour or another, but he’s never seen it at Christmas. There’s lights everywhere, and gigantic trees in front of all the hotels, and he spends their drive through the city just staring out through the window in awe.

His excitement builds up so much he has to shake his hands out in his lap, and start tapping his feet back against the seat, just do anything to let all the things he’s feeling move through his body and find a way out.

Bill reaches over and grabs his hand, just to squeeze it quickly and grin at him. “I know, dude,” he says softly.

He looks beautiful, in the sunlight and the splendor of the city, backlit by the window. Ted’s always especially fond of his profile anyways, the curve of his nose and the strong point of his chin, but there’s something even better about tracing his eyes over it when he knows that in just a few hours Bill’s going to be his _husband_.

They finally make it to the clerk’s office, and they park the van and hop out to get in the fairly short line. It turns out with the pre-registration, it really is as easy as basically just picking up the license - and the woman behind the counter smiles at them when she sees they’re already dressed up.

“Doing it today, then?” she asks.

Bill and Ted both nod quickly, their hands still intertwined between them.

“Christmas Eve anniversary. It’s a lovely time to do it, really. Best wishes to both of you.”

“Thanks!” they tell her in unison, and then they grab the certificate, and neither of them can resist air guitaring together as they head back out to the van.

Before they’d ever left home, Bill found a chapel that had an open appointment - they’d had a cancellation apparently, so Bill and Ted got lucky. Again, though - it hardly feels like luck after everything they’ve been through together, and everything they’ve done to get here. It feels kind of like they’re soulmates, in the cosmic sense of the word, and Ted has to wiggle in his seat again, just thinking about it.

When they pull up to the chapel, Missy and Deacon are already there, and Missy waves them both over for a hug right there in the parking lot.

“I knew you’d get here someday. Couldn’t rush it, though,” she says, quietly enough that only they can hear it.

They both flush a little, and she smiles at both of them. She kisses them both on the cheek, and then pats them on the face before she pulls back again.

“Thanks, Missy,” they both tell her, and she beams.

“Congratulations, dude,” Deacon says as he walks over, hands in his pockets, and Ted rolls his eyes and pulls him into a hug, quick though it may be.

“Thanks, Deacon.” He pats him on the shoulder and shoves him back, and Deacon laughs at him a little and grins.

Billie and Thea go over and say hi to Missy, linking arms with her, and Bill comes over and pats Deacon on the back, too, and together they all walk into the little Vegas chapel.

The inside is gorgeous. Everything is decorated, from fake snow on the ground, to candles and flowers, everything all red and gold and white, and Bill looks perfect in the warm light, in his blue suit, handsome and grinning eagerly at Ted as they both talk to the officiator, currently dressed up as Santa.

They both agree they want to recite their own vows in addition to the standard ones, and everyone else gets settled in the pews as they take their place at the front of the chapel.

Ted takes Bill’s hands in his own, and looks into his face, and smiles so hard he tears up a little, laughing as they both start to get a little overwhelmed - both so happy just to be here, together.

When the time comes, Santa sort of nods, first at Bill, and he tightens his grip on Ted’s hands.

“So - I had that speech. Like I said. And it’s - maybe it’s not much, in the way of vows, but. I wanted to say it anyways, dude. We have witnessed - many things, we’ve been to Hell and to Heaven, and all through time, and space, and we’ve seen - the best and the worst of each other in the most literal of ways, and through all of that - I loved you so much, dude. I love you so much. You’re the best dude I’ve ever met, and you’re like - already my other half, basically, and have been forever, and I’m so excited to spend forever with you.”

Ted laughs, and smiles, and though he knows he isn’t supposed to kiss Bill yet - he wants to. Instead, he squeezes his hands even harder. “That’s - that’s pretty good, dude.”

“Thanks, dude.” Carefully, Bill reaches up and wipes Ted’s face for him, and then pulls back to hold his hands again. “Go ahead, dude.”

“Okay, uh - wow. I don’t know if I can compete with all that, but. I guess I’ll try.” He smiles at Bill, and shakes his hair out of his face. “Uh - Bill, you’ve been there for me - pretty much my whole life, dude. I can’t even really remember anymore much of the stuff you weren’t there for and - every good thing, every bad thing, you’ve always been right there. I don’t know where I’d be without you but - uh, I’m pretty glad I’ve never had to think about it. And now I really never have to cause - here we are, and we made it, and now we’re gonna be married. And we’re totally gonna kiss in that retirement place.”

“Gross,” Billie says from the pew, laughing, and Ted laughs, too, and pretty much everyone does - Santa included.

The rest of the wedding proceeds as normal - and at the end, he leans in happily to kiss Bill, lingering just a little more than he normally would in front of so many people, because it’s his wedding - and he and Bill just got _married_.

When they pull apart, he realizes he’s crying again, and he laughs a little, wiping at his face. Bill reaches up and wipes under his other eye, and then leans in and kisses him again, a softer little press of lips.

“Come on, dude. Let’s get out of here and go get some food or something.”

Bill takes his hand, and as they walk down the aisle everyone else joins them, Billie and Thea throwing fake snow over their heads, Missy and Deacon both cheering for them and everyone and laughing and whooping together as they head back out into the Vegas sun.

It’s easy to find a buffet place within driving distance, and they all eat lunch still in their wedding clothes, all making jokes while Billie and Thea show them pictures of the two of them standing there, being married by a man dressed as Santa Claus.

They look a little silly but - Ted kind of feels like it’s perfect. Everything just feels perfect. It’s ridiculous, and they took too long to get there, and they’re in Vegas on Christmas Eve when Christmas isn’t even either of their favorite holidays - but maybe, now, they’ve given it its own kind of special significance.

He keeps his hand in Bill’s holding tight under the table, even as they eat with their other hands.

Once they’re finished eating, Missy kisses them both on the cheek again.

“Alright, boys. Thanks for a good time, but Deacy and I are gonna go make the most of a Christmas in Vegas, since our honeymoon got cancelled by the near end of the world.”

“Yeah, thanks to somebody,” Deacon grumbles, but he grins as he nudges Ted in the shoulder. “Have fun, guys. We’ll see you back at home for board game night.”

“See you, dude,” Ted tells him with a smile.

He and Bill wave, and watch as the others leave. Then they turn to each other, and then to Billie and Thea.

“Well uh - do we just go back home?” Ted asks, shrugging a little.

Bill blinks at him, shrugging and laughing. “I didn’t really think that far ahead, dude.”

Billie and Thea laugh with them.

“I mean if you guys wanted to get a hotel, you probably could,” Billie tells them.

“We could take the van home and - either come back or you guys could fly?” Thea suggests with a shrug. “We’re gonna be home til after New Year’s if you wanted to take a honeymoon.”

Ted looks at Bill, and shrugs, but Bill looks at him for a moment, then shakes his head.

“Nah - let’s just go home.” He squeezes Ted’s hand. “We can honeymoon some other time, with like, way better planning. We’ve got family Christmas tomorrow, and presents under the tree - we’re married now. That’s what counts.”

“Yeah,” Ted says softly, rubbing his thumb over Bill’s wedding ring again. “It is.”

Billie and Thea look surprised, but they shrug, too, and the whole family piles back in the van.

“Let’s go home,” Bill says, glancing in the rear view mirror and then back over at Ted, smiling at him.

“Home,” Ted agrees, leaning over and kissing Bill on the cheek, just quickly before he settles back in his seat.

Everyone’s tired on the drive back home - and Ted watches and pokes Bill whenever he yawns. They blast music to keep both of them awake, and Ted just enjoys staring at Bill - especially as the sun starts to sink down towards the horizon, and Bill gets all bathed in the golden light.

By the time they’re finally back home, it’s dark, and Billie and Thea just wave at them as they go back over to Liz and Jo’s house, yawning as they go.

Ted knows they’ll see them tomorrow. He pulls Bill into his arms, then, and kisses him there in the driveway. “Well - now we’re married,” he mumbles against Bill’s lips.

“That we are, my most excellent husband,” Bill says, grinning as he presses his hands under Ted’s suit jacket. “Think I should try to carry you over the threshold?”

Laughing, Ted shakes his head. “And throw out your back or something, dude? No way. There’s way better ways to do that.”

Bill laughs with him, and tugs him towards the door by the hand. “Now that’s definitely true. Let’s go see if we can find one.”

Still giggling, Ted stumbles along behind Bill, arms around his waist, leaning against him as the open the door and go inside. “Sounds perfect, dude.”

Turning his head, Bill presses his smile against Ted’s and kisses him again, right there in the doorway. He slides a hand into Ted’s hair, and presses his tongue into Ted’s mouth, and he doesn’t hold anything back, because they’re finally, finally alone again.

“Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?” Bill says, pulling back. When he opens his eyes, they’re all dark and hooded, and Ted shivers with it. Then Bill snorts. “Guess you’d better go put the Van Halen shirt back on.”

Shoving Bill through the door, Ted shakes his head and laughs again. “Nice try, dude.”

And together, hands intertwined, rings knocking together, they stumble inside towards the bedroom.

**Author's Note:**

> merry jolly again!!! uhhhh something something i'm on twitter @eddykaspbraks and you can also find me on discord or wherever and yell at me, thanks for reading!!
> 
> hope you're having a merry holiday everyone!!


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